Rice balls formed by hand from freshly cooked, slightly salted gohan — pressed into triangular, cylindrical, or round shapes around a filling, wrapped in nori (dried seaweed). The technique teaches what correct shari temperature and handling feel like — because the hands are the tool and the rice communicates its readiness through them. Onigiri rice must be warm but not hot, salted on the hands rather than in the rice, and formed with sufficient pressure to cohere without crushing the grains' structure.
- **Rice temperature:** Warm — about 40–45°C when forming. Cold rice does not cohere; too-hot rice burns the hands and sticks. - **The salt:** Wet the hands, then salt them — the salt distributes across the hands and transfers evenly to the rice surface rather than concentrating. - **Fillings:** Umeboshi (salt-pickled plum), grilled salted salmon, tuna with mayo, seasoned kombu — all at room temperature or cold. A hot filling heats the rice from inside and makes the onigiri too soft. - **Nori:** Applied at the last moment before eating — nori wrapped in advance becomes soggy from the rice's moisture. Decisive moment: The pressure of forming. The hands cup and press the rice while simultaneously rotating the onigiri to shape it. Too little pressure: the onigiri falls apart when picked up. Too much: the rice grains are crushed and the texture becomes dense and gummy. Correct: the onigiri holds its shape when lifted but the interior grains remain distinct when the rice is pulled apart.
Tsuji